Thursday, April 7, 2011

Sports World

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Vettel Vulnerable in Malaysian Grand Prix Betting Posted: 07 Apr 2011 06:47 AM PDT The F1 circuit reaches Malaysia this weekend with the Red Bull team heavy favourites to repeat their achievement of 12 months ago when their two drivers, world champion, Sebastian Vettel and team mate, Mark Webber came home first and second. Certainly there are questions that the Red Bull team will have to answer; particularly because the Sepang circuit and its long straights may not suit their aero package and also that the race will probably be run with outside temperatures of around the 40c mark and in intense humidity, which will affect the tyres. It is almost certain therefore that Christian Horner, the Red Bull team boss, will incorporate the KERS system in both cars to aid the speed on the straight and will pay extra attention to the choice of tyres used, particularly as the extra weight of the KERS will add more pressure on them. That said Vettel in particular looked as if he needed no boost in Australia a fortnight ago, driving the quickest almost throughout the race which of course he went on to win; however he will know that Lewis Hamilton in his McLaren was a shade quicker than Vettel until the first round of pit-stops. McLaren have had a fortnight to improve on that performance which will make practice, that starts on Saturday that much more exciting. Horner has been quoted that he believes that the McLaren cars will be a lot closer to them than most think, which is certainly the feeling of the McLaren team. Lewis finished second last week and had his team mate, Jenson Button exercised a little more patience and subtlety during his battle with Felipe Massa of Ferrari, he could have easily pulled off a podium finish himself. In the event he earned himself a penalty and finished in only sixth place in a race that he had won in 2009 when driving for Brawn. The third place in the end went to hugely talented Russian, Vitaly Petrov in his Renault, who looks like he is about to take 'giant strides' in the sport now that Robert Kubica is sidelined. No-one really expected to see a Renault making such an early impression, Petrov only qualified in sixth, but he proved that the Renault car has much more about it than the so called experts imagine. It would come as no surprise this week to see him very competitive once again. The outcome of this race could be decided by so many factors that it makes one conclude that, whilst Vettel and Red Bull justify favouritism in the latest Malaysian Grand Prix odds, the course, the weather, the humidity, and the tyres will all have an effect on the outcome, which makes betting on world champion, Vettel at around 13/10 uncertain. A better bet would be take the favourite on, with either Hamilton at 5/1 or even Button who is as long as 20/1 with some Bookmakers. It is fair to believe that Vettel should start on pole, for which he is a heavy odds on favourite, but with McLaren expected to improve their speed too, the 9/2 against Hamilton might be worthy of consideration.

The Masters - who will conditions suit? Posted: 07 Apr 2011 04:51 AM PDT The checklist for picking a Masters winner is long. A decent Augusta record, good length off the tee, an ability to stop the ball on the fast greens and an unflappable temperament are good things to look out for, but there are so many other factors that can point punters in certain directions, with course conditions top of the list. Thunderstorms and heavy winds earlier in the week suggested the players could be in for a torrid time, but fair weather is forecast to alleviate the dilemma of club choices in gusty conditions that so often causes problems and those looking to place golf bets should remember this. The nightmare conditions of 2007, when Zach Johnson won with a score of +1 and the average round was 75.88. Last year, with the weather set fair, Phil Mickelson was victorious on -16, with the average round 73.30. Unpredictable conditions level the playing field, as it increases the chances of a less-fancied challenger making hay when the sun is out and the favourites being hamstrung by a windy and wet course. The big names should rise to the top after all. It is well-known that a good putting game is needed at Augusta more than anywhere, but there is some leeway in the first round. Pin positions become tougher as the tournament wears on and the greens invariably speed up, making putting mistakes more expensive. This makes the first round leader market wide open – Tom Watson and Sandy Lyle shot opening 67 and 69 respectively last year – as inconsistent putters are not punished. Rory McIlroy is one to watch in this market, as his aggressive approach will make plenty of birdie opportunities, if not throughout all four rounds.

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